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Looking to get a 04 E60 545i. Just a few questions I have since I've never owned a BMW.

I test drove it and immediately fell in love with the SMG

Gas consumption, since it's a V8 4.4, Is premium gas always necessary for this car?
Is there much difference between the Auto and SMG other than the Manual w/o the clutch?
Is there any high maintenance cost to replacing the clutch, or does it have a clutch like a manual car?

There are few issues with the car, it had condensation on the driver side headlights and the driver side fog light. Is this an issue easily fix? I know this is a common thing with the E60, well just reading stuff online about it.

Are parts expensive brakes, control arms?
Maintenance do you guys a have a shop to recommend on Oil changes and one mechanic told me, instead of you changing oil at 20k, you should do it every 10k?

Such a noob when it comes to Euro cars.
Previous cars I've owned are the IS300 and G35.

Yes Premium gas is necessary as the car will run rough and get poor mileage. Gas is going to be expensive its a 4.4L but you will get better mileage than some V6 motors on the highways.
You will have to change your oil much sooner than the BMW recommend intervals. i would say between 5-7000 kms for oil changes.

BMWs are costly to maintain, a little more than Infiniti for certain parts and cheaper for others. If you can do work on the car yourself without having to go to the delear or your indie then it wont be that bad.

Use the sponsors on here for advice and service. Maranello BMW, RMP, Bimmersport Automotive, Stance Factory.